


Kidnapping Is (Definitely) Not The Key To Tony Stark’s Heart (But Coffee Just Might Be)

by NamelesslyNightlock



Series: Going Down Swinging [40]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Cooking, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Deals, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Feelings Realization, Feels, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Humor, Kidnapping, Kissing, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Is A Disaster, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Pining, Protective Loki (Marvel), Recklessness, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Worried Loki (Marvel), courting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: After being violently kidnapped, the last thing Tony expected was to wake up to the sight of his favourite cheeseburgers.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Going Down Swinging [40]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1330490
Comments: 56
Kudos: 710





	Kidnapping Is (Definitely) Not The Key To Tony Stark’s Heart (But Coffee Just Might Be)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank youuu to everyone that helped me trying to come up with a title xD and thank you **STARSdidathing** for helping with the summary!  
>   
>  **Prompt** — _“Do you promise?”_

When Tony woke up, he was much more comfortable than he would have expected, given that the last thing he remembered was being violently kidnapped.

…Well, fine, so maybe the _violently_ part was up for debate, but the kidnapped bit certainly wasn’t, and given the person who had done it, Tony had expected to wake up bound and gagged at best, and tied down to a table about to be tortured at worst.

Okay. Perhaps that was mean.

Loki had never really done anything vicious, at least… not recently. His attacks always seemed to be more pranks than anything else, and whenever he met Tony on the battlefield he always seemed more inclined to joke around than to spit any of the vicious insults Tony had heard pass between him and Thor.

But appearing in the middle of Tony’s workshop with absolutely no warning other than JARVIS’ split second ‘ _Sir!’_ , grabbing Tony around the waist and then—

Well, then _nothing_ , because that was all Tony could remember but that was so not the _point_. Either way, he had _definitely_ been kidnapped, but… it felt like he was lying on a couch rather than on the ground or tied to a chair, and, yeah, he was _comfortable_.

Not wanting to give anything away in case he was being watched, Tony opened his eyes just the tiniest _crack_ , glancing around the room he found himself in. He was expecting a dungeon, maybe, lots of chains and perhaps a few rats. You know, villain stuff. But, instead—

“Okay,” Tony muttered, opening his eyes the rest of the way and propping himself up so that he was sitting. “This is… weird.”

It seemed like he was in a living room, small but tastefully decorated and with windows large enough that it made the room feel open. There was a flickering flame in the fireplace, and the walls were lined with bookshelves.

Perhaps most startling was the glass vase that contained a single, red rose. It sat atop the coffee table, and was accompanied by a glass of what looked like red wine – and hopefully it was, because whenever Tony thought of Norse gods it made him think of Vikings which made him think of the things they drank when _worshiping_ the gods and uh, yeah, no thanks. And as if that weren’t enough, next to the glass was a plate with… well. Uh.

Were they… cheeseburgers?

Tony grabbed one, and brought it up for a sniff.

Yeah. Cheeseburger. Smelt like it was fresh off the grill at the nearest Burger King.

Tony shoved the burger back onto the plate as if it had burned him. If Loki was giving him cheeseburgers, then there was something _seriously_ wrong going on.

As if he were summoned by the thought, Loki arrived in that moment in a shimmer of green, appearing behind the couch just to the right of where Tony was sitting, gazing down at him in a manner which suggested he was _pleased_.

“Hello, Anthony,” Loki said, his voice soft. “I hope that you are comfortable.”

“Oookay,” Tony said, not ashamed to admit that he leaned away from the crazy god just a little bit. He wasn’t _scared_ , it just… “Yeah, because that’s not a creepy thing to say to the guy you’ve just kidnapped—”

“I did not kidnap you,” Loki cut in.

Tony arched a brow, and Loki’s lips curved into a smirk.

“Kidnapping suggests malicious intent—”

“You so can’t differentiate like that, and even if you could it’s _still_ kidnapping.”

Loki smiled properly then, as if he thought Tony was amusing– and Tony was suddenly struck by how different Loki looked. The biggest thing was probably that he wasn’t wearing his armour. His clothes still seemed distinctly… otherworldly, definitely not of Earth, but they were still quite clearly meant for comfort more than anything else. His pants were looser than what he normally wore, his tunic a light wrap-around, and while his shoes were still boots they were not the heavy things he usually favoured.

The look just made him seem… softer, almost, nothing like the villain Tony was used to seeing causing mischief and mayhem at every given opportunity.

He certainly didn’t look like he was preparing for a fight, or like he expected this to turn violent or nasty. Which, considering Loki _had_ kidnapped him, honestly seemed a little odd.

“Okay,” Tony said hesitantly, his curiosity getting the better of him like it so often did. “I’ll bite. If you don’t want to hurt me, and you don’t want to force me into anything, then… _why am I here?”_

There was no hesitation in Loki’s answer.

“Anthony, I wish to court you,” Loki said.

Tony blinked. “You _what?”_

Loki smiled, though this time it was a little sad. “I knew that you would not consider me unless you grew to know me, for you have only ever seen me in battle. But I wish that we _could_ know each other, and I did some research on Midgardian courting rituals. I learned that the best way to start is to spend time together, so I ensured that we would.”

“Okay,” Tony said, speaking slowly and testing the waters because he knew Loki liked madness and chaos, but this didn’t really seem like any of those. It almost sounded like Loki was _serious_. Tony didn’t want to risk this getting out of hand, so he decided to tread with caution. “I admit, this has come a little out of left field.”

“Not entirely. I have admired you for quite some time,” Loki said, his voice sounding honestly nervous and– fuck, was he was he actually… _blushing?_ That had to be the single most un-Loki-like thing Tony had seen all day. “If you choose to be with me, I will be good to you. I believe that we are well matched, and I… I wish to be with you.”

Slowly, Tony looked back to the coffee table, to the rose, the red wine, the _cheeseburgers_. It seemed like Loki had not only done his research into ‘human courting rituals,’ but that he had also noticed one of Tony’s favourite foods.

 _Shit_.

“Loki, I hate to break it to you,” Tony said, his voice a little strained– “But kidnapping is _not_ the right way to ask someone on a date.”

As he glanced around the cottage, he noticed that there was no door. The windows showed only thick forest outside, no indication of where they actually were, and there did not appear to be a way to open them. There wasn’t any obvious way out, and Tony was willing to bet his whole fortune that Loki was using magic to stop him from escaping, or at least to stop him from smashing the windows.

Fantastic.

“Anthony, I will give you anything you want,” Loki said then, moving around the couch so that he could sit beside Tony– though, thankfully, he kept a little distance between them. “Anything you ask for.”

“Anything?” Tony asked, arching a brow. “Okay. Let me go.”

Loki’s lips quirked for a moment. “Just name what you want, and I will get it for you.”

“Let. Me. Go.”

“Don’t be unreasonable, Anthony.”

“How is that not reasonable?” Tony asked, throwing up his hands. “You said _anything_.”

“Yes, anything,” Loki replied. “Anthony, listen. I truly would do anything for you—”

“Yeah, anything but _let me go._ Loki, you’re really not endearing yourself to me right now—”

“I just want a chance,” Loki said. “Will you not at least give me that? Just a chance to prove to you that I’m not the person I know everyone thinks that I am.”

His voice was so achingly desperate, filled with enough longing and whispered resignation – as if he had already half accepted that this ploy would not work, that Tony would never want him back – that it was enough to at least make Tony pause.

This wasn’t something he had ever given thought to. Loki was an enemy of the Avengers, always had been. And yeah, Tony enjoyed talking with him, but Loki had never given any kind of indication that _this_ was going through his head. It was more than a little confusing, and if Tony were being honest, most of his complaints were a result of the shock. Maybe, if he had been given a little time to process…

But before Tony could even begin to put his thoughts in order, Loki closed his eyes, and breathed out heavily.

“If it is what you truly wish,” Loki said, “If you do not think you could ever find it in your heart to… well. I will let you go. But what if I swear that I will not hurt you, if I swear that I will let you go whenever you next ask– would you stay then, just for a short time? Just until we know each other?”

He was pleading again, and Tony knew that there was a chance this was a manipulation. He knew that Loki could be using this to try and keep Tony there just long enough to learn secrets, or to get inside Tony’s head– but he truly did not believe that was the case.

And besides, if this really was what Loki said it was, and Tony did not even hang around long enough to see the potential… then he knew he would be left wondering for the rest of his life. It was the curse of an overactive mind, he supposed. Curiosity killed the cat, but– well, Tony had always preferred the second half of that saying.

He pinned Loki with a firm stare. “Tomorrow.”

Loki’s eyes brightened, both with delight and with a glint of mischief. “A week?” he asked.

“No way. Two days, tops.”

“Three,” Loki tried, his expression so hopeful.

And Tony still wanted to argue more, but… three days? Actually, that didn’t sound too bad. After all, Loki wasn’t _terrible_ company, even if he was acting super weird, and Tony was fairly confident that he was safe. Besides, there was that shareholders meeting in two days’ time that he really had been hoping to avoid, and as far as excuses go, being kidnapped was a pretty good one.

“Three days, and then you let me go?” Tony checked.

“Yes.”

“Do you promise?”

“Anthony,” Loki said, reaching out almost as if he wanted to take Tony’s hand, though he paused at the last moment, letting his palm fall to the couch. “You have my _word_.”

“ _Fine,”_ Tony huffed. “But then you’d better give me a workshop, and tools, and a computer, and a fucking coffee machine.” He pinned Loki with a firm glare. “A _good_ one, you hear me?”

“Of course,” Loki replied happily.

And Tony would never admit it, but the bright, delighted grin that stretched across Loki’s expression then actually made him look… kind of beautiful.

—

You know, the first day with Loki actually wasn’t all that bad.

Loki did everything he said he would, acquired everything that Tony asked for. He somehow managed to construct a workshop under the house, full of every tool Tony had listed _and_ with a state of the art coffee machine in the corner. It was the kind that you only had to press a button and steaming hot liquid would come out, and it was somehow made exactly to Tony’s taste.

The workshop didn’t have his bots, and it didn’t have JARVIS, but as workshops go it was one of the better ones that he had ever been graced with, and he was more than happy to spend hours tinkering in it.

Although Tony had been half worried that Loki would be pushy, or that he would want something in return for this… kindness, he never asked for anything more than what Tony was willing to offer. He watched Tony with soft expressions, he drew Tony into conversations that were both witty and intellectual, and he could keep up with Tony’s trains of thought better than anyone else Tony had ever met– better than Bruce, even.

And as that first day passed, Tony began to grow more and more comfortable, until he suddenly realised he had turned his back on Loki, that even though the mage was close enough that Tony could hear the shift of fabric as Loki watched over his shoulder, he didn’t feel the urge to run and hide.

Less than a day, and Loki already felt more like a friend than an enemy.

It was strange, because Tony had never really trusted _easily_. But… well. It wasn’t entirely like this had come out of nowhere, right? Tony had admired Loki for a while, hadn’t he? Hadn’t he noticed how Loki wasn’t violent anymore, that he had never been since that invasion? How Loki always seemed keener to make a mess than to hurt, how he looked like all he wanted these days was to have a bit of fun?

He’d certainly given Tony more than a fair share of laughs– and he was doing so now, hardly failing to make Tony smile with every word that he spoke. And even when they argued, when they stubbornly wouldn’t budge on an opinion, Tony still found himself enjoying Loki’s company, enjoying the way they pushed further and made each other question things that no one else would even think to consider.

And when they parted for the night after an entire day together, Tony realised that he’d actually… had a pretty fun day, all things considered.

Certainly better than it would have been if he’d been cooped up in a house with Steve, after all.

And, against all the odds – despite having been kidnapped against his will, something which surely should have at least brought up a few bad memories – Tony actually fell into a peaceful sleep. 

—

When Tony woke, he was initially confused as to where he was, not recognising the bed and panicking for a moment when he was not greeted with JARVIS’ calming voice. The smell of something burning did not help matters, but, thankfully, everything came rushing back before long.

Tony paused on the edge of his mattress, thinking hard. Okay, so he was stuck here with Loki for another two days. The day before hadn’t been entirely horrible – his mind came up with a few more actually positive adjectives, but he pushed them away – and he could certainly survive two more days easy. No problems at all.

Besides, there were other things to worry about, like the fact that there was _definitely_ something burning.

Curious, Tony stepped out into the corridor and walked down the hall, not needing to go far as the house truly was only small, following his nose back in the direction he remembered having come from the night before.

When Tony entered the main area and looked over to the kitchen, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him.

Loki was standing in front of the stove, his expression twisted into a determined frown, his hair standing on end. He was actually wearing an apron, and he was poking at the contents of a frying pan with the spatula he held in his hand. There was a bubbling saucepan as well, which looked about ready to boil over, and a few pieces of blackened bread scattered on the counter in front of the toaster.

“Uh, Loki?” Tony asked. “What are you doing?”

It seemed that Tony startled him– Loki spun around in surprise, his eyes wide, the bit of… charcoal he had been trying to flip falling from his spatula and onto the ground.

“I am making you breakfast,” Loki said.

Tony’s gaze panned over the mess once again. “Uh huh,” he said. Then– “And was catching your clothes on fire part of plan?”

Loki jerked around immediately, realising that, yes, when he’d turned initially his quick movement had flicked the ties of his apron onto the stove, right under the smoking pan. Loki didn’t waste any time– he danced away from the stove and there was a flash of green magic, and then the apron looked as good as new. Loki glared at the stove for moment before turning back to Tony.

“This is not my area of expertise,” Loki admitted, his expression a little sheepish.

Tony found himself staring, because Loki just… he looked so _normal_ , like a normal person with normal problems such as burning food to the bottom of the pan and not noticing that the water was boiling over, or that his clothes had caught on fire. Loki was actually _pouting_ at the stove, as if doing that would fix everything, and Tony realised… Loki had meant this as some kind of gesture. He’d woken up, got out of bed, and then rather than doing something for himself he had decided to make Tony breakfast.

Loki could probably cook food with his magic, or he could just teleport out and grab whatever he wanted from a diner anywhere in the world. But he’d tried to make something, _for Tony._

It was enough to lodge something heavy in Tony’s throat, and he swallowed before saying, “Do you want some help cleaning all this up? I can do that, while you go out and get us something else.”

“There’s no need,” Loki said, sighing in defeat. He waved a hand over the mess, and everything – blackened toast, burned bacon, overflowing pot of… well, it could have been anything, really – disappeared in a shimmer of green, leaving the kitchen completely pristine.

Loki untied his apron and shoved it into a draw before turning to Tony with an apologetic glance. “I shall bring us something else,” he muttered. And he looked about to go, but Tony reached out to touch his arm without thinking.

Loki froze, and Tony let his hand fall back to his side.

“Sorry,” Tony said. “I just… wanted to say thanks.”

It seemed that simple word was enough to brighten Loki’s whole demeanour, his smile curling up and his eyes shining.

“You’re welcome,” Loki said. He disappeared then, leaving Tony in the kitchen which still smelled a little smoky. But by the time Tony had made some hot drinks, Loki was back with what looked like enough breakfast to feed a small army—

And when Loki saw that Tony had brewed some tea along with the coffee he had made for himself, his expression was so utterly delighted that all Tony could do was return his smile.

Yeah. Maybe staying here wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

He just… hoped that Loki wouldn’t try to cook again. He’d have to make sure Loki knew that he didn’t _mind_ take out, not in the slightest.

—

Over the course of the following few days, Tony actually found himself having fun. Rather than just ‘not bad’, he could admit that living with Loki was almost… pleasant.

Thankfully, Loki _didn’t_ attempt to cook again, but his affection was clear in the other, smaller gestures that Tony learned to pick up. He noticed the way that Loki’s smile would soften when he thought Tony wouldn’t notice, the way that he would reach out to touch only to change his mind at the very last moment. He always made sure that whatever they did was Tony’s choice, and he was always careful not to do anything that might make Tony uncomfortable. In all honesty, he was the perfect host– if one forgot the fact that Tony was only there because he had been kidnapped. But… Loki was polite, charming, and yet somehow a complete asshole all at the same time, and Tony found it hard to stay angry with him.

Loki was just so _easy_ to get along with– even while they were arguing Tony felt like he was having the time of his life.

It was obvious that Loki cared, and not even in a creepy way, like one might expect. He honestly just wanted Tony to be happy, and Tony had absolutely no doubts that Loki would hold to his promise.

And… it was hard to spend time with someone who was so obviously in love with you and not even… _consider_ it.

Also, you know. Loki wasn’t all that terrible looking.

Of course, as Tony had said right at the start, a kidnapping was not exactly the most solid start for any kind of attraction. In fact, he could totally understand how this might appear worrying. But Tony was beginning to think that Loki’s grab and run had been less a last ditch effort to try and _make_ Tony like him, and more… a chance to spend time together, when they never would have before. Loki had seen that they could be great friends (and perhaps even more), and he had wanted Tony to see that, as well.

And if Tony didn’t… well, Loki would have had a few days with Tony, a memory to hold on to, and the knowledge that he had at least _tried._

Besides, it wasn’t like Loki had been trying to be covert or manipulative, as shocking as that seemed. In fact, Loki’s openness was another reason why Tony found it easy to trust him. He had admitted what he wanted right from the start, and he had never actually _pushed_. And there were moments where… Tony almost wished that Loki would, so that he didn’t have to try and work out what he wanted for himself.

Then again… there was also a _moment_ when things were suddenly and near painfully clear.

Tony had been trying to repair the poor toaster that Loki had terrorised on his first morning in the cottage– or at least, that was how it had started. It wasn’t _Tony’s_ fault that it had ended up with wheels and a cognitive ability that was just slightly higher than that of a Roomba. Those sorts of things just happen sometimes.

Anyway.

The toaster had just cooked its first piece of toast post-upgrade, and Tony had grinned brightly and turned to share his triumph. But when he saw Loki, it wasn’t to find the other man with a victorious grin to mirror his own– instead, Loki was staring at him with open adoration, with the kind of fondness that was rare to find.

When Loki saw that Tony had noticed, he schooled his expression and glanced away– something he had been doing more and more often, as if worried he was making Tony uncomfortable, or maybe trying to hide just _how much_ he had come to care for Tony. Perhaps he was even doing it to protect himself. Tony didn’t know, but… he _did_ know that when he saw that smile, all he wanted was to see it more often.

Tony swallowed, his mouth going dry.

“You can take him home with you, if you want,” Loki said, not noticing or perhaps tactfully ignoring Tony’s sudden inner crisis. As it was, Tony hardly understood what Loki meant.

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.

Loki offered him a sad smile. “When you go back to the tower,” he said.

Oh. Of course. This was Tony’s third night in the cottage. Their deal would come to an end the following morning.

The sudden realisation that he was running out of time hit him hard, because Loki still had not made a move– and Tony realised then that Loki never would. Not when he thought that Tony didn’t want him back.

Loki had no doubt been waiting for something, _anything_ from Tony, and Tony had not given it to him. So now, he had likely merely resigned himself to only having these three days, and then handing Tony back over to the Avengers.

It was that, more than anything else which solidified Tony’s decision. Usually, the kind of people who wanted something from Tony just took it– or tried to, at least. But Loki just wanted Tony to be happy, and he was content enough with the chance he had made for himself.

Loki was still smiling, his eyes still sad but accepting– though they widened slightly as Tony moved closer, his hands gently touching Loki’s sides. He moved slowly, lifting one hand to cup Loki’s cheek, and although Loki’s breath caught he didn’t pull away– he leaned into Tony’s touch with a kind of tentativeness which spoke volumes.

Oh, Tony knew that he probably shouldn’t do this, that it was possibly just a result of being in a confined space with only one other person. There was a chance that he would regret this the second he went back home, but… in that very moment, standing in front of Loki, Tony knew exactly how he felt, and he knew exactly what he wanted.

They were both leaning in now, close enough that Tony could feel the brush of Loki’s breath over his skin, dancing across his lips. He ached with the need to press closer, to touch Loki’s skin, to slide their mouths together in a dance that he _knew_ would be pleasurable. He drew in a deep breath, he could feel his heart beating too fast—

“No,” Loki said, pulling away, taking a step back, leaving Tony confused.

“What?” Tony whispered, his arms still partially outstretched, feeling cold as he reached for Loki once again. “What do you mean, _no?_ I thought this was what you wanted?”

Loki’s expression was pained, and he averted his gaze. “No,” he said again. “It isn’t, not really. I should not have kept you here. I should _never_ have taken you from your home, and I shouldn’t have made you stay.”

“Loki, we had a deal,” Tony pointed out. “Three days, that was it. That’s hardly a kidnapping—”

“That’s not what you said when you first arrived,” Loki said– then he flinched as he corrected himself. “When I _brought_ you here. You wanted to leave immediately and I forced that deal on you. If I had done what you wanted, if I had listened to your _choice_ , then you would not be here now.”

Tony stared, his hands slowly falling back to his sides. He wanted to reach out and draw Loki into his arms, he wished that he could say something comforting, but… nothing Loki had said was untrue. Kidnapping him _was_ a shitty move, and even though Loki had never treated him badly, it was impossible to deny that Tony was not there by choice.

Well, not at the start anyway– but things had _changed_ , right? He had come to know Loki just as Loki had hoped. Come tomorrow, Tony didn’t _have_ to go, he could choose then to stay with Loki—

Except… Tony knew that he wouldn’t. He _couldn’t_. After all, he had to go back to JARVIS, back to his bots, his friends, his teammates. He had left far too much behind to even contemplate staying here with Loki, even if he wanted to

But this thing with Loki… it was something he wanted to explore. That sense of curiosity and potential that he had felt from the beginning had only grown stronger, and he knew that if he left now, he would regret it. He _would_. It felt like a stalemate, like there were no good options.

However.

There was something else to consider, because Tony knew that he couldn’t stay in the cottage with Loki, but… when the time came to leave, when he went back home, would he want things to return to the way that they were before?

That, he found, was a much easier question to answer, because he knew that he couldn’t go back to seeing Loki as his enemy. He didn’t want to face him across a battlefield, or to fight him, or to be made to try and capture him. He didn’t even think that he _could_ do any of those things– because if nothing else, Loki was certainly his _friend_ , and he had hoped… maybe something more than that.

“No,” Tony said. “Loki, that isn’t—”

“Anthony, I am so sorry,” Loki said. “I promise you, I will not bother you again.”

“Loki, no,” Tony said again, clutching Loki’s shirt, recognising what he was about to do. “Don’t. I still have until tomorrow morning, we had a _deal—”_

“And I release you from it,” Loki replied.

Tony went to say something else, but before he could, he felt the tingle of magic over his skin as Loki gripped his wrists—

And then Loki was gone, and Tony was suddenly standing alone in his penthouse– feeling strangely cold.

—

When they realised that he had reappeared, the Avengers greeted Tony with excitement and relief, but Tony found it difficult to muster up either of those emotions at _all_ , let alone to the same extent.

He was glad to be home, he supposed, glad to see JARVIS, the bots, his friends. He had certainly missed them, and he knew that they had worried, that they had tried and failed to find him. But even as he fell back into the routine madness of the Avengers, as he threw himself into his workshop and his _life_ , he still could not help but feel like there was something… not necessarily missing, but something not present which could have made everything better.

He would look over his shoulder in the workshop, expecting to see a smile only to be met with disappointment. He would see Steve cooking an omelette at the stove in the morning, and he would smile in memory of burned bacon skittering over the floor. He didn’t miss not being able to leave, and he didn’t miss the way that he hadn’t had a choice. But… well. Tony tried to tell himself that he was being utterly ridiculous. He had only been with Loki for just under three days, after all– that was _not_ enough time to come to miss someone so terribly.

And he was fine, really. The days turned into weeks and he was _fine_ , going back to the way things were. He did notice that Loki had not been seen since his kidnapping, that it seemed all his pranks had stopped. Tony was half glad for that, because he still didn’t think he would be able to try and capture Loki if he were asked to– but at the same time, he wished that Loki would attack if only so that Tony could see him again, could know that he was all right.

But, whatever. He didn’t need Loki, right? He was Tony Stark, and there was nothing that he couldn’t survive.

…It was the fucking coffee machine that broke him, in the end.

He didn’t even know why the sudden thought hit him, because it wasn’t the first time he had used the machine since he had arrived back home. Maybe it was because he was close to exhausted, or maybe it was because he had been cursing the extra steps he’d had to take, since without a machine in the workshop he’d needed to go up to the kitchen mid-project. Then, as he pressed his finger into the buttons and waited for his mug to fill, Tony’s tired gaze caught on the logo at the front of it.

The brand wasn’t something that one would normally notice about a coffee machine, but in that moment, Tony found himself staring, not even noticing when his drink was done. Because it was exactly the same make as the one that Loki had got for him back in the cottage, _exactly_ the same, as if Loki had actually gone out of his way to get something he knew Tony would like rather than risking making a mistake.

Most people would have just gone shopping and grabbed one, maybe googling or asking someone in the store for advice. But Loki had taken this extra care, and Tony felt it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Who else would have done something like that? Who else had _ever_ done something like that for _Tony?_

He stood there for long enough that JARVIS thought to ask whether he was all right, and then Tony had to move when Clint came into the kitchen, wanting to use the machine himself.

But the thought sat heavy in Tony’s head as he went back down to the workshop, his steaming mug of coffee in hand. He knew that he was _done_ pretending that what had happened was nothing. He had enjoyed his time with Loki, he _missed_ Loki, and… well, that curiosity was still there, though it was now accompanied by something far stronger.

Tony wanted to know what it would be like to spend that time with Loki, to have someone who cared for him that much and to care for them in return. Though, for that, he needed to stop just waiting around– because it was clear that Loki had already decided that he was going to stay away.

So for Tony to have any chance of getting what he wanted, he needed to _do_ something.

—

The thing about Loki is that he had never been particularly easy to find. It was a problem they had been fighting for years, because unlike the other villains they had only ever been able to face him on _Loki’s_ terms, not able to track him down.

Still, Tony was adamant that he needed to try, so rather than just jumping back onto old projects he went to the person who… well, perhaps not who knew Loki the best, but certainly the one who had known him the longest.

Unfortunately, though, Thor did not end up being entirely helpful, since all he had to add to the plan was the knowledge even Heimdall, the guy famous for being able to see stuff, was not able to see Loki.

“He has always been skilled in the way of illusion and trickery,” Thor told him. “If he is truly hiding, there will be no way to find him until he wishes to be found.”

Still, Tony refused to let that wear him down, and went back to his scanners and trackers and satellites and _science_. The Avengers had all confirmed that they’d had no luck finding Tony when he had been taken, not even able to locate a _trace_ as to where he had gone– apart from, of course, the note Loki had left promising that Tony wasn’t in any danger. (Tony tried not to get upset with them when he realised none of them had believed it. He hadn’t either, in the beginning.)

JARVIS had even lost contact with the tracker Tony had kept on him ever since Afghanistan, the benefits of being able to be found outweighing the worry over unlikely breaches in privacy.

That either meant that the cottage was hidden with magic, or that it had not been on Earth at all– and either option meant that really, Tony only had the one choice.

“Right, J,” Tony said as he knuckled down at his workstation. “Get your thinking cap on. We’re going to need a trap for the god of mischief.”

—

In the end, it was perhaps not as difficult as it should have been.

Thor had mentioned that while Loki could not be found, he himself liked to watch over things that were happening– something which was a result of being a mage growing up on Asgard, watching others like Odin and Heimdall cultivate the power and wanting to prove that he could do just the same.

So Tony used a few well-placed words, a red herring, and a gamble, and he enlisted Thor’s help once more– and this time, the big guy actually came through.

“This is going to work,” Thor said worriedly. “Isn’t it?”

“Of course,” Tony replied, staring over the edge of the roof at the street that lay far, _far_ down below. “Don’t worry, Thor. Just… be ready, yeah? Just in case?”

Thor nodded firmly. He knew Tony had put safeguard upon safeguard in place, that he had taken every possible precaution to ensure that even if the plan went awry, he would not be harmed.

After all, Tony wasn’t suicidal. He was just… determined.

(He hadn’t told Steve about it, though. Even though Steve could be incredibly reckless himself, he sincerely doubted that their fearless leader would approve of any of this.)

“Okay, big guy,” Tony said, steeling himself as best he could. “Let’s do this.”

His breath felt a little shallow, his heart beating quickly, not able to totally curb the fear even though he knew he had accounted for enough possibilities. As Thor grabbed onto Tony and shoved him over the edge, there was moment where Tony instinctively struggled, where he tried to hold on but Thor was too strong for him, and over Tony went.

As he fell, Tony was struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu, remembering the last time he had made almost this exact fall. The wind was rushing loud in his ears and the cold air burned his cheeks, but he managed to arrange his body so that he was facing down, to make it easier for JARVIS to catch him if the need arose.

The ground was getting closer and closer, there were people staring up and screaming in horror, though he could not hear them for the rush of the air, the pounding of his heart, the not entirely irrational terror coursing through his veins—

Then something tackled him around the waist, throwing him off course in a flurry of green magic and a few curses that did not sound like English—

And then Tony smashed into the familiar carpet of the cottage he had been trying in vain to find.

There was a moment where Tony just lay there, trying to catch his breath and calm his heart. Then he glanced over to see that Loki was sitting beside him, staring at him with rage etched across his face.

“I am going to kill Thor,” Loki said the moment he noticed Tony was looking at him. “I am so sorry, Anthony. As soon as I know you are all right, I will go back to New York and I will—”

“Don’t take it out on Thor,” Tony said, sitting up and stretching out his spine with a groan. “It wasn’t his fault. I asked him to throw me off the roof.”

Loki blinked, his expression turning to one of shock for just a moment before it was replaced with a blank mask. “ _What?”_

“You know,” Tony said lightly, “For a trickster god, you’re not all that good at working out when _you’re_ the one who’s been tricked.”

“You did this to trick me,” Loki echoed, his voice entirely unimpressed and burning with anger. “You _asked_ Thor to throw you from the top of a building?”

“Well, I mean, if you had just given me your number or something, then I wouldn’t have had to—”

“It was reckless,” Loki cut in harshly. “And _why?_ What did you hope to accomplish?”

“I wanted to see you,” Tony said simply.

For a moment, Loki’s expression softened, but then he seemed to shake it away. “You could have killed yourself,” Loki snapped. “Are you really so stupid that you would risk your life just to draw me out?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “JARVIS had three suits on standby, and in case something happened to him, Bruce was hanging out on the street– and if something happened to _him_ , then I had Stephen Strange waiting to make a portal that would flash me back up to the top of the tower so _Thor_ could catch me.”

Loki paused at that, as if he were thinking it over. “You weren’t in any danger?” he asked. And he no longer sounded frustrated over the trick, he just seemed… relieved.

“Nope. I had contingency on top of contingency. But I’m glad it was you who caught me,” Tony said, shuffling a little closer. “I definitely prefer this option.”

There was a moment where Loki just stared at him, his eyes widening for a moment– but then, as if he were determined to see the worst in this, Loki pushed to his feet and turned away, his hands in fists by his sides.

“Why did you do it?” Loki asked. “Are you only trying to mock me for what I did, for the way that I feel about you?”

“No,” Tony said, scrambling to his feet himself. “Loki, _no_. I would never—”

“Then explain to me why you’re here,” Loki said, and as he turned back his expression was so broken that it made Tony’s heart ache. “I know that I did the wrong thing, I _know_ that I should never have brought you here in the first place. I know that no apology in all of the Nine could make up for the way that I treated you, the way that I tried to take away your choice—”

“You never did that,” Tony said.

“How can you say that when we both know that I—”

“Tell me, Loki. That first day, if I had insisted upon staying, if I had told you on no uncertain terms that I did _not_ want to be here and that I was willing to fight tooth and nail to leave, would you have forced me to stay? Would you have locked me in a room entirely against my will, kept me here captive and hostile as you tried to make me love you?”

Loki’s expression was horrified. “Of course not,” he said. “I would never have—”

“Exactly,” Tony cut in. “If we hadn’t made that deal, you would have taken me back home straight away. I know that you would have. Hell, even with the deal you still sent me home early, even when I _wanted_ to stay.”

“You cannot say that for sure,” Loki muttered, though there was something in his voice that almost seemed a little hopeful, as if he _wanted_ Tony to keep arguing his point. “You only wished to be with me then because I forced my company upon you. If you had been given another option you would never have even considered spending the time with me.”

“Maybe,” Tony admitted, because, well. It _was_ true. “But I _did_ get to know you, and Loki, I like you, okay? Did you go about the start of this in a pretty terrible way? Yeah, maybe, but there is no way that I could bring myself to regret it, because maybe if you hadn’t I never would have been able to see the real you.”

“What are you saying?” Loki asked.

“I’m saying that I asked Thor to throw me off the roof because it was the only way I could think of to make you come back to get me, because I _knew_ that you cared too much to let something like that happen.”

Loki was staring at Tony like he wasn’t quite processing all that was being said, his lips slightly parted in disbelief. He didn’t pull away as Tony moved forward, reaching up to brush his fingers over Loki’s cheek.

“I don’t want to go back to pretending that I _don’t_ know you,” Tony said gently. “I don’t want to just erase everything that happened between us.”

“Nothing happened,” Loki muttered, though he leaned into Tony’s touch.

“Then stay with me now,” Tony whispered. “Please, Loki. I know we didn’t have long, and I know that I spent a whole lot of it complaining. But honestly, I enjoyed the time that we had, and I want to see where this goes. Because you’re right, Lokes. I think we would be good together, as well.”

Loki’s eyes widened, but Tony didn’t wait for him to come up with another argument. He cupped Loki’s cheeks with both of his hands and leaned forward to press their lips together, kissing him like he still wished he had been able to that last day. It remained sweet and chaste, but they lingered together for longer than such a kiss would normally last, just enjoying the feel of being pressed together.

Even when they parted, Tony touched their lips together again, and then again, not able to help himself, enjoying the feel of Loki’s smile against his own too much to want to stop. Loki didn’t complain in the slightest, and it was several minutes before either of them spoke again.

“You told the Avengers about us?” Loki asked curiously, _hopefully_.

“Well, not exactly,” Tony said. “I wanted to make sure that this was something you wanted as well, that I… hadn’t pushed you away.”

“There is very little you could do which would push me away from you,” Loki replied, and then he leaned down and kissed Tony again. Tony smiled against his lips and went to deepen the kiss, but Loki pulled away before he could.

“Anthony,” Loki said slowly, tilting his head. “Why did the Avengers think that you were throwing yourself from the top of tower?”

“Technically, Thor did the throwing,” Tony reminded him, and when Loki merely arched a brow, he added a little sheepishly, “I told them that I was testing JARVIS’ response times. So… they all probably think that you’ve kidnapped me again.”

Loki let out a sigh, though he looked to be more amused than annoyed.

“Hey, on the bright side,” Tony said. “That’s at least an excuse not to show our faces for a while, right?”

“You’re not concerned that they’ll worry?”

“This time, I’ll have JARVIS send the message,” Tony said. “He can tell them what’s happening. Then we’ll give them a few days to mellow out, you know, so we don’t go back to a massive argument.”

He said the words casually, but he knew Loki caught on from the way that his eyes lit up.

“A few days?” Loki asked. “Three?”

“Well,” Tony drawled, his smile curving into a smirk. “I was kind of hoping for a bit longer than that.”

“In that case,” Loki said, leaning in close once more and whispering the words against Tony’s lips. “How long _are_ you hoping to stay for?”

“However long you want, Loki,” Tony replied softly. “Personally, I’m just hoping to spend many more days with you.”

And as Loki smiled and kissed him again, Tony knew that he had made the right choice.


End file.
